Managing security updates and systems integration are a concern for 50 percent of IT managers

7 March 2005: Unisys research reveals that 72 percent of UK enterprises now have an IT security manager on board. 80 percent of IT departments focus on managing security risks in-house, despite the fact that 34 percent of businesses are concerned that access to resources and IT skills impacts on their ability to plan effectively. A further 50 percent of IT managers are also concerned about their capacity to manage updates in security applications and integrate systems as part of security requirements.

An independent survey, commissioned by Unisys, surveyed 300 enterprise security IT managers from large public and private sector organisations to investigate how UK corporations are approaching enterprise security. The research reveals that the corporate security agenda is driven by the threat of viruses (64 percent), and unauthorised systems access (53 percent). Of the organisations surveyed, 49 percent are now using the strength of their IT security systems to build customer trust, whilst 35 percent believe that the biggest threat from security breaches is to their stakeholder relationships.

UK enterprises remain focused on managing security risks in-house, with less than a third of businesses opting to outsource specific elements of their security, whilst the majority has never considered outsourcing. The barriers holding companies back from gaining help and expertise from outside the business relate to business risk issues, with loss of control as the overwhelming concern for 88 percent of businesses, followed by perceived risk to the organisation (79 percent).

Commenting on the research, Bart De Maertelaere, Partner and Global Infrastructure Services Security Lead EMEA, at Unisys believes, "Managers today are aware of security threats affecting their business and understand the importance of securing their corporate network and protecting company data. The cost to the business of downtime and loss of data are still keeping managers awake at night although the research has shown two thirds of companies are still resisting the need to outsource certain elements of their security strategy."

Bart De Maertelaere continues, "Organisations who lack the necessary resourcing are putting themselves at risk by attempting to manage all the constantly evolving security threats in-house rather than gaining insight and understanding from a third-party with expertise in this field. Through outsourcing partnerships, companies can gain up-to-date knowledge and awareness of a breadth of security issues, which will in turn enable them to share and develop best practice with their customers and partners."

About the Survey Methodology
The survey was conducted on behalf of Unisys between 13th - 27 the January 2005. A total of 300 security decision makers participated in the survey. 75 percent of companies in the survey employed over 1,000 full time employees. The participants were drawn across a range of industries including a third from the finance, banking and insurance sector. The remaining industry sectors included public sector, manufacturing, IT and telecomms, utilities, construction, distribution and transport.

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